Chapter 834: Chapter 831: Negotiating with a Tiger for Its Skin
Shen Bozhong had not fully recovered his mory.
He went with Shen Qingzhu to the old Shen family residence and also visited his wife’s grave to pay his respects. As his mory gradually returned, his guilt towards his wife deepened, as did the affection he felt for the apprentice in his mories. Perhaps because he had yet to et the apprentice again, the sentint Shen Bozhong had long harbored towards Li Mingrui as a disciple had not disappeared.
This ti, he had initially intended to return to bid farewell to Li Mingrui and then guard his wife’s grave for the rest of his days. However, seeing that Li Mingrui intended to get involved with King Liang, he had no choice but to show up and intervene.
“King Liang is as venomous as a snake or scorpion, and skilled at disguising himself, making it hard for others to distinguish truth from falsehood in his words. Engaging with this person is like negotiating with a tiger. I urge you to be cautious!” Shen Bozhong said.
Li Mingrui was surprised to discover that the old man still knew idioms…
“It seems the old man’s mory is truly recovering!” Li Mingrui was pleased for the old man while also feeling a sudden loneliness. In the past, when the old man had no mory, Li Mingrui was his whole world. But if the old man regained his mory and reconnected with his past life and friends, he would no longer belong solely to him.
Li Mingrui’s feelings were like a child fearing their father would be taken away by others, and he felt a bit sad.
“Sir!” Shen Bozhong’s tone intensified.
“Old man, I am the legitimate eldest son of the Li family. For the glory of the entire Li clan… and for the livelihood of the Li family!” Li Mingrui smiled at Shen Bozhong. “Old man, everyone has their own burdens to bear. I know that cooperating with King Liang is like negotiating with a tiger, but I have no other choice now! And I also believe… I will succeed! Old man, you must trust !”
As he spoke, Li Mingrui took out a token from his lapel and handed it to Shen Bozhong. “At the third quarter of the hour of the boar, the city gates will change guards. If the old man is unable to leave by then, you can use this token!”
Shen Bozhong knew that Li Mingrui was always resolute, and convincing him further would likely be futile. So he took the token, nodded, and cupped his fists to Li Mingrui: “Take care, sir!”
“You too, old man!” Li Mingrui made a deep bow to Shen Bozhong, donned the hood of his black cloak, turned, and erged from behind the tree to knock on the rear corner gate of the Liang Mansion.
Shen Bozhong stood behind the tree and watched as the rear corner gate was opened a sliver, and Li Mingrui slipped inside before it was quickly shut again.
Shen Bozhong pondered over Li Mingrui’s earlier words about chaos in Dadu City. After a mont of contemplation, he skirted along the wall to avoid the Hidden Guards monitoring the Liang Mansion, and quietly left, heading straight for the Qin Mansion.
Earlier, Bai Qingyan had sent a letter instructing Bai Jinxiu to take Wang Geer and… go to their new post with Qin Lang. But Bai Jinxiu, being so shrewd, had seen through her elder sister’s intentions.
She had safely left, but how would her elder sister receive news from Dadu City? Entrusting everything to Fu Ruoxi seed sowhat risky to Bai Jinxiu. Furthermore, Fu Ruoxi, being a General, didn’t have her ticulous mind, often missing crucial points in the news and therefore missing opportunities.
So, when Qin Lang left for his new post, Bai Jinxiu did not go with him but stayed behind.
Shen Bozhong had not completely recalled the past, but he knew that he once had deep ties with the Bai family, and his apprentice was a foster brother and the captain of the Bai family’s guard team. He must have been closely connected to the Bai family.
Knowing that Dadu City was about to fall into chaos, Shen Bozhong couldn’t help but report to Bai Jinxiu to prepare her.
Shortly before Shen Bozhong arrived at the Qin Mansion to seek out Bai Jinxiu, a Hidden Guard dispatched by Bai Jinxiu to monitor the Fan Mansion returned to report that a servant from the Li Mansion had ridden straight to the Fan Mansion. Subsequently, Fan Yuhuai had disguised himself and left for the Liang Mansion. Moreover, the Hidden Guards sent by the Crown Prince to monitor the Liang Mansion had been eliminated.
The guards Bai Jinxiu had dispatched had kept a considerable distance from the Liang Mansion to avoid drawing the Crown Prince’s suspicion towards the Bai family and were not implicated this ti.
The Hidden Guard reported that the techniques used to eliminate the Crown Prince’s Hidden Guards were highly sophisticated, more akin to top-tier assassins than ordinary Hidden Guards.
Upon hearing this, Bai Jinxiu’s lingering doubts suddenly all connected.
So, Fan Yuhuai’s previous small actions of contacting the old Patrol Camp subordinates were not due to dissatisfaction with the role of head of the Imperial Guards but because he had pledged allegiance to King Liang, preparing for another turmoil at Wude Gate!
In the main hall of the Qin Mansion, Bai Jinxiu sat under the lamp, her expression as calm as water, her fingers tightly gripping the armrest of her chair, ticulously piecing together and arranging the past few months of information.
She could understand why Li Mingrui joined King Liang. King Liang’s deep hatred for the Bai family stemd from the treachery of the Second Prince!
If King Liang could successfully usurp the throne, he would definitely vindicate the Second Prince. Thus, the evidence the Bai family held of the Li family’s initial incitent of the Second Prince’s rebellion would beco false, and the Li family would gain rit in supporting the new rule.
They had chosen this mont to act because the Jin Army, fighting against Daliang, continually brought good news.
Her elder sister had captured several Daliang cities… pressing closer to the capital of the Daliang Kingdom. Once the army defeated Daliang or Daliang surrendered, the army would return to Dadu City.
Currently, most of the Jin Kingdom’s forces were in Daliang. The last ti her elder sister had quelled the Wude Gate rebellion, she had been in Daliang and could not intervene now. With the head of the Imperial Guards, Fan Yuhuai, pledging loyalty and his contacts within the old Patrol Camp nearly in place, King Liang and Li Mingrui would feel sufficiently prepared.
Otherwise, once the army returned after subduing Daliang, relying on the Jin Army under Fan Yuhuai and the few Patrol Camp troops would be futile.
For King Liang, the coup could not be delayed.
When the major event in Dadu City was decided, he would follow the previous narrative of the Wude Gate rebellion, declaring that the Crown Prince had confined the Emperor, controlled the court, and now, driven to desperation, he had killed the Emperor to hasten his ascension. This would fra King Liang as the rightful hero to restore order and naturally ascend to the throne as a Prince.
Once King Liang ascended to the throne, the matter would be settled, and no one could refute it.
Her elder sister’s concerns were indeed valid; trouble was brewing in Dadu City…
But Bai Jinxiu could not let King Liang ascend the throne with impunity, otherwise… the entire Bai family would be in peril.
Outside, the wind suddenly picked up, swaying the two lanterns hanging at the main hall door, with the light flickering.
Bai Jinxiu rose and bowed to Shen Bozhong: “Thank you, Mr. Shen, for coming to inform of this matter. I have another request… Please assist in this critical ti!”
Shen Bozhong stood up: “Mrs. Qin, please speak.”
“If I were to send my son to Baiwo City to find my husband at this mont, it might alert King Liang.”
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